5 replies to this topic

[katie1234567890]

Hi
I'm doing an essay with a title of was the alliance system the main reason for the first world war and i have to include information about the scramble for africa, competition over Dreadnoughts, the alliance system and the assassination of Franz Ferdinand.

In class we only went over the scramble for africa for a minute so i cant remember / im confused about it.

I have looked at lots of different pieces for information but they are all very confusing and i really only need to explain why it was linked with competition over empires and germany wanting an empire etc.

Thanks x

[Mr. D. Bryant]

In class we only went over the scramble for africa for a minute so i cant remember / im confused about it. I have looked at lots of different pieces for information but they are all very confusing and i really only need to explain why it was linked with competition over empires and germany wanting an empire etc.
Thanks x

Welcome to the Forum. It's usually worth doing a forum search to see if your question has been answered before. If you have a look at this forum search on 'Scramble' (if it says 'no results', remember to click on 'Forums', not members), this should answer you question.

If you need any more help, please let us know.

[MrJohnDClare]

The 'Scramble for Africa' was just the thirty years or so at the end of the 19th century when the Great Powers of Europe conquered Africa.
Before 1870, hardly any of Africa was 'owned' by Britain, France, Belgium etc.
By 1914, almost everything except Abyssinia was 'owned' by Britain, France, Belgium, Germany, Spain or Portugal.
The cause of this was IMPERIALISM - the desire to have a great empire, and Britain was better at it than anyone else (nowadays, we tend to think this a reason for shame, but in those days it was reckoned a reason for pride!)

Anyway, as you might guess, there was a fair bit of falling out about all this, and two of those clashes (the Moroccan crises) are reckoned amongst the short-term causes of the First World War.
You can read about them here.

Where it all gets rather confusing is that some historians DENY that this imperialism helped to cause the Great War.
They say that - by providing an outlet for the great powers' expansionism - the scramble for Africa actually DELAYED war for 30 years; they suggest that it was when Africa 'ran out' that the great powers turned back in on themselves and led to war.

[masked_angel]

I am doing an essay on the causes of WW1. in class we learnt about the five main causes:
Militarism
Alliances
Nationalism
Imperialism
Assassination
I need to write a paragraph about imperialism and militarism but I dont know what to write about them and how they casued WW1. Can anyone help?

[MrJohnDClare]

I am doing an essay on the causes of WW1. in class we learnt about the five main causes:
Militarism
Alliances
Nationalism
Imperialism
Assassination
I need to write a paragraph about imperialism and militarism but I dont know what to write about them and how they casued WW1. Can anyone help?

Firstly, please don't forget to say please - everyone does on this forum.

Secondly, try this and the succeeding webpages.

[janet986w]

Hi !
I've just visited this forum. Happy to get acquainted with you. Thanks.